Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday for a two-day visit during which she would review the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Valley and Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region.
Sitharaman, accompanied by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, arrived at Srinagar on her maiden visit to the state. She straightaway headed to Kupwara sector in north Kashmir for an on-ground assessment of the situation along the LoC, defence sources said.
The sources said that senior army officials would brief her about the overall situation in the Valley, including counter-insurgency and counter-infiltration operations, upon her return from Kupwara.
Sitharaman is scheduled to meet Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti later in the day, they said.
Sources said Sitharaman might either visit Siachen Base camp or carry out an aerial tour of the glacier which is known as the highest battlefield in the world.
The Siachen leg of the visit would depend on weather conditions, they added.
‘One Year Since Surgical Strikes’
The minister’s visit reportedly marks one year since the surgical strikes.
India had launched surgical strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on the intervening night of 28 September and 29 September 2016, 11 days after the Uri attack, which claimed 19 lives.
Army Chief Rawat on 25 September this year said that surgical strikes would be carried out again, should the need arise.
Speaking with the media in Delhi, Rawat said that last year’s surgical strikes were “conducted to send a message” and if “adversaries do not understand, it will be repeated.”
He said that the terrorists on the other side of the border were prepared, and the Indian Army was prepared too on their side of the border.
Sitharaman Clears Rs 300-Crore Project
Chairing her first Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, the Defence Minister on 27 September cleared a Rs 200-crore project for buying indigenous sonars for Indian Naval ships, and another one for missiles for the navy.
Sitharaman has decided to hold meetings of the DAC, the highest decision making body for defence acquisitions in the ministry, every fortnight. She said that fornightly meets will enable speeding up the process of capability development of the armed forces.
"It will provide a significant boost to the navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities," a statement said. The DAC also cleared procurement of missiles for replenishing the naval inventory.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)